'Sutiyoso should pay attention to sports'

Being an athlete is one of many careers available in Jakarta, which may not occur to many people. Noted among those in the sports field are badminton players who are currently in the Thomas and Uber Cup finals in Guangzhou, China. They spared some time to share their opinions about the performance of Governor Sutiyoso, whose term will end in October.

Hendrawan, who was born in Malang, East Java, on June 27, 1972, is the 2001 World Champion and the 2000 Olympics silver medalist. He has been based at the Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, for about a decade. Now he lives in Sentul, Bogor.

I can't make any comment on social welfare, public security or the flooding as I haven't really followed Sutiyoso's term. But as an athlete, I think whoever the governor is must pay more attention to sports development in the city.

I also remember what president Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri said during her visit to the center prior to our departure to Guangzhou -- that all regional administrations were obliged to provide more sports facilities for their populations.

So far Jakarta relies solely on the Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan but it's not enough for such a big city. The administration should have built more sports facilities of all kinds across the city.

Rony Agustinus was born in Surabaya 23 years ago. Based at the training center since the early 1990s, Rony has yet to win his first title but reached the finals twice at the 2000 Asian Badminton Championships and the 2001 Malaysia Open.

I hardly get out of the training center but I always find that the traffic in Jakarta is so bad.

I personally think that whoever the governor is must pay more attention to alleviating the problem.

Atu Rosalina, born in Bandung 21 years ago, has yet to achieve her best in badminton. Included in the Uber Cup team for the first time, Atu has lived in Jakarta since entering the center three years ago.

I can't stand the traffic. It's so chaotic. There are also too many street vendors at intersections. The administration must provide them with adequate places to do their business.

Compared with Guangzhou, Jakarta is definitely a mess. There are no street vendors here.

Lidya Djaelawidjaja, who was born in Tasikmalaya, West Java, on Oct. 15, 1974, entered the center in the late 1980s. Winner of the 1999 Indonesia Open, she has participated in the Uber Cup three times.

I haven't really followed the situation outside the training center because I seldom leave the dormitory. But what concerns me a lot is the terrible traffic jams and the indiscipline of our public transportation drivers.

Why can't the city administration do something about it? They let the public minivan drivers stop everywhere, while at the same time they block the road. Don't they cooperate with the police to regulate the traffic?

I also urge the administration to build more open spaces so that residents can take more exercise.

When I was in Hanoi, many people turned the streets into badminton courts and set up tables to play table tennis.-- JP